Chandigarh, February 26: Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains has strongly criticized the BJP-led central government and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for allegedly omitting Punjabi from the list of subjects for Class 10. Bains condemned the move and announced immediate corrective measures within the state, terming it a "well-planned conspiracy" against Punjab, Punjabi, and Punjabiyat.
Addressing the media, Bains accused CBSE of deliberately sidelining Punjabi by excluding it from the category of main subjects in its draft examination policy. "Science, Maths, Social Science, Hindi, and English are listed as main subjects, while regional and foreign languages are placed in another group. This effectively removes Punjabi as a main subject, which is unacceptable," he stated.
The Punjab government has issued a fresh notification in response to this development, making Punjabi a mandatory main subject for Class 10 across all educational boards. Bains warned that if Punjabi is not treated as a primary subject in any school, its certificate would be deemed null and void.
Highlighting the widespread use of Punjabi beyond Punjab, Bains noted its prominence in states like Haryana, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, and West Bengal. "Despite being a language of rich cultural heritage, the CBSE has failed to recognize its importance while retaining foreign languages like Thai, German, and French," he remarked.
The minister also swiped at Punjab BJP leaders for dismissing the issue as a "clerical mistake." He criticized them for undermining the sentiments of Punjabis and demanded that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan take immediate action to rectify the exclusion.
Meanwhile, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has also opposed CBSE’s decision. Senior SAD leader and former Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema called the omission of Punjabi as a regional language option "shocking" and accused the Centre of discrimination. He recalled that Punjabi had earlier been removed from the regional language list in Jammu and Kashmir and demanded its immediate reinstatement.
Amid a growing backlash, Bains announced that Punjab would soon introduce a new state education policy, with an expert committee forming to oversee its development.
With political and public outrage mounting, the controversy surrounding the status of Punjabi in CBSE’s curriculum is likely to intensify, putting pressure on the central authorities to address the issue.